Nathan VanderKlippe
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (July 17/02) - Kathy and Gabriel Karlik had tried it all: combing, brushing, anything to get the knots out of Max's hair.

But the heavy coat of hair on the Shitzu mix wouldn't behave.

"The hair was just tangled up," said Gabriel.

But four months after taking ownership of the dog, they found a solution to their hair woes: They got Max neutered.

And, after the scalpel had descended, they sat on two chairs in a corner of the Friendship Centre, a razor buzzing away Max's nuisance hair. Still drowsy from the surgical sedatives, Max was the picture of canine contentment as his shaggy coat gave way to a trim, cleanly-shaven figure.

Michele Ashby, who organized the vets' visit to town, looked over.

"It's hard to groom an animal with that length of fur when they're not doped up," she said.

Things get done when the vet comes, especially when the visit only lasts two days out of the year.

This is the third time in Rankin for Jennifer Brazzell, a vet based in Winnipeg. She and two others, animal health technologist Sherrie McNeir and fellow veterinarian Lori Gould, flew north July 6 and 7 to spay, neuter, vaccinate and operate on about 90 dogs from Rankin and Arviat.

"It's very much a community effort," says Ashby. "People loan us kennels for recovery rooms."

Most of the work on the dogs and cats is spaying and neutering. This year, almost 100 had the procedure done. That's good news for Ashby, who says it's a step toward eliminating stray animals in the community.

Working in temporary facilities, Brazzell and company have just about everything they need: an EKG machine, anaesthetics, even a lab to handle blood samples. They've basically flown in a portable clinic.

As Brazzell takes a blood sample from a cat with a hyper-thyroid problem, she explains vet work North of 60 is basically the same as vet work nearer the 49th.

There are a few exceptions, however. She says most of the dogs here have better teeth -- a result, she guesses, of chewing on caribou legs. She sees more outdoor animals here than in Winnipeg, and is surprised by how many show evidence of frostbite.

And there's the issue of weight. The dogs in Rankin won't be needing Weight Watchers anytime soon.

"Not many animals are fat here," she said. "In Winnipeg, 85 per cent are fat."

And the clientele aren't much different, either, she says. Except for one thing.

"Everybody wants a discount," she laughs. "They say, 'If I vaccinate and get a surgery, do I get a discount?'"